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Man jailed for sexual abuse after grooming girls on Facebook

A 19-year-old man from Milton Keynes has been jailed for sexually abusing four girls he met through Facebook.

Ryan Kevin Chambers, formerly of Akerlea Close, Netherfield, has been sentenced to three years and nine months in prison and banned from social media sites for six years.

Ryan Chambers used Facebook to groom girls Credit: ITV Anglia

Chambers used Facebook to contact around 1,000 girls.

He set up 11 profiles on the social networking site to contact the 12 to 15 year olds. He sent them friend requests, chatting to them to try and persuade them to come to his home.

He's been put on the sex offenders register and banned from any contact with anyone under the age of 18 for six years.

His ultimate aim was to entice them around to his home where he would encourage them to have sex with him.

– Det Sgt Sally Kestin

In March Chambers was found guilty of eight counts of sexual activity with a child following a two-and-a-half week trial at Amersham Crown Court. He admitted four counts of possessing indecent images of children.

Chambers used facedbook to contact girls Credit: ITV Anglia

Thames Valley Police was first contacted by the mother of a 14-year-old girl in June 2011, who was concerned her daughter was being groomed over the internet.

Officers attended Chambers’ home on June 10 and arrested him on suspicion of sexual assault on a child.

During a search of his home, officers found lists featuring more than 1,000 girls’ names and mobile phone numbers.

He was also found to be in possession of four indecent images of children, which were rated at the second most serious level.

Investigating officer Det Sgt Sally Kestin, said: “Ryan Chambers is a very dangerous and predatory young man who has a prolific desire to groom his victims in order to sexually abuse them.

“He would use a number of profiles set up on Facebook to contact girls and request they add him as a friend.

“If a girl accepted his friend request he would initiate conversations with them through Facebook as a ploy to obtain their phone numbers.

“His ultimate aim was to entice them around to his home where he would encourage them to have sex with him.”

A Facebook spokesperson said: “We work hard at Facebook to keep people safe on our service and we have developed highly sophisticated security systems aimed at preventing people from making inappropriate contact with other users.

"Sadly, a small number of determined individuals will persist in behaving illegally when using online services.

Sadly, a small number of determined individuals will persist in behaving illegally when using online services.

– Facebook spokesman

"We take a zero tolerance approach and when such illegal behaviour is detected Facebook will offer its full cooperation to the police to ensure that these people are brought to justice as we did in the case of Mr Chambers."